Mark Brazier
Tour Guide
Born in Cheshire in the early 1960s, I’ve spent most of my life in and around the Macclesfield area. I was never really into sports, although I preferred rugby, which was the chosen sport at the grammar school I attended. I always enjoyed tinkering with machines and electrics as I grew up, which shaped the direction of my career.
I’ve always been interested in travelling abroad, though I didn’t have many opportunities to fulfil my ambitions in my early years. I had a few holidays abroad, but nothing too special. I chose to focus on my career rather than see the world, but as time went by, I found myself travelling a little with work and far more on holidays. A couple of trips to the USA in the early 2010s, the first in the southern areas of the States, opened my eyes to how much fun trips could be. My second was from Seattle to L.A., taking in various towns and routes on and off the West Coast Highway. I soon realised I wasn’t too bad at putting routes together and finding great places to stay. This set me on my way to enjoying trips of my own, but it wasn’t long before I came across organised motorcycle tours!
After leaving school, I wanted a hands-on career and started as a mechanical apprentice at the local water company in 1977. Over the years, I worked my way up the ladder as a multi-skilled engineer, but I eventually found myself drifting into the project side of things. Before long, I was working as a project engineer/manager in the Cheshire and Manchester area. I’ve always enjoyed solving problems and finding solutions. I didn’t plan it this way, but I ended up working for the same company until I was made redundant in 2019. I found I didn’t need to work anymore but had lots of time on my hands.
By chance, I booked a tour with Magellan after a lot of research and found myself riding around the Picos and Portugal—I was hooked. From that point onwards, I felt at home on the trips, with the aim of becoming a tour guide. A couple of our tour guides saw potential in me and put me forward for the role. My first joint-guided trip was to Romania, and it was a trip to remember!
I’ve had an interest in motorcycles from an early age but never had the funds or backing to get one until I was 16. I got my first on-road machine, a Garelli Tiger Cross, and at one minute past midnight on my 16th birthday, I was free to fly around the town and countryside at breakneck speeds—maybe 60mph downhill with the wind behind me and a dodgy speedo! That was my start in the world of motorcycling. From there, I graduated to the flying 250s of the age and survived, more through luck than judgement. I took a five-year break from riding but have had a motorcycle ever since. My preferred bikes were generally sports bikes, with my favourite being the Fireblade. I had one of the first models, which I wish I still had today. What a groundbreaking machine! As I got older, my body disliked the riding position, so I joined the adventure bike riders, purchasing a 1200 Explorer, followed by a Tiger 1200, which I eventually traded for a GSA. I’m now on my fourth GSA!
With maintenance experience across all types of equipment, I can usually find a solution to most problems. Sometimes it’s only a temporary fix, but I can generally figure out a way to sort things out. We always carry a few bits and bobs, and it’s amazing what you can do with a few spanners, cable ties, and gaffer tape. Somehow or other, we keep people moving.
My favourite tour is the Balkans Explorer, which I first had the pleasure of being part of as a support rider and have guided a few times since. What a trip, with some fantastic routes, stopovers, and memories. From amazing rides over the Grossglockner in Austria to epic journeys along the Dalmatian coast, there are some great twists and turns, along with stunning views and the sense of achievement after crossing the pass. Although Dubrovnik is the highlight for many, my personal favourite city on the tour is Sarajevo, and the walking tour we organise there is just amazing.
I’m retired now, so I have plenty of time for whatever I fancy—within reason. I like tinkering with the bike, have a passion for cars (and seem to change mine far too often!), and enjoy making changes around the house and keeping up with DIY. I keep saying I’ll take up golf—maybe one day.
If you asked my friends what they think of me, I guess they’d say, “He’s pretty laid-back and calm in a crisis.”
Check out Mark's three favourite trips